15 Surprising Facts About American Culture

You might think you know all about American culture, but I bet even Americans themselves don’t know some of these surprising facts about America. So strap yourselves in and prepare to be amazed at just some of the quirky little facts we’ve managed to find about the USA.

1. Why is the White House so called?

The White House is the official residence of the President of the USA and a major tourist attraction, but did you know it was designed by an Irish man? The British burnt the original house during the war of 1812. It was reconstructed and some say it was painted bright white to mask the burn damage. President Roosevelt set the trend in referring to it as the White House. Previously it was known as the Presidential Palace.

2. Government Spies

American government agents can legally collect data on any person, anywhere in America for any reason and that information can be saved for years. In fact the FBI has apparently stored every email sent by every American for the last 10 years.

3. Food Wastage in the US

Every year in America around 33 million tons of food is wasted. That’s 40% of US food uneaten and thrown away, amounting to $165 billion, every single year.

4. Fortune Cookies are American

Yes Fortune Cookies were actually invented in San Francisco by Makoto Hagiwara, who originated from Japan. They are widely served in Chinese restaurants but will never be found in China.

5. Bizarre US Laws

America has some bizarre laws that still exist but thankfully are not enforced. One such law is from Omaha in Nebraska, which states that it is illegal to burp or sneeze during a church service.

6. Most Popular Sport in the US

According to USA today, is it the National Football League and not baseball which is the most popular sport in America today. Don’t forget though, that the NFL is not the same as UK football which is referred to as soccer in the US.

7. Faked Moon Landings

Around a quarter of all Americans think that man never landed on the moon, which is also roughly the same number of British and Russians who also think that it was faked.

8. The American Flag Facts

There are 50 stars on the American flag representing the 50 states of America and 13 stripes in honour of the 13 original colonies. The design and colours of the flag were taken from other countries which include Chile, Liberia, Malaysia and Puerto Rico. Every time a new state is entered into the union, a new star is put onto the flag.

9. The Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty has seven rays on her Crown which represent the seven continents of the world. The lady is French of course and was presented to America as a present on the 4th of July 1884.

10. Hidden Images of the One Dollar Bill

People have been finding all kinds of surprises on their dollar bills, usually by making other images when folding them, however the one dollar bill includes a small spider, an eye on top of a pyramid and the number 13.

11. Methuselah Tree, California

The world’s oldest known living organism is the Methuselah tree in California. It’s a Great Basin Bristlecone Pine and is thought to be around 4844 – 4845 years old.

12. Diamond Mines

The only producing diamond mine in the States and the only diamond mine in the world that is open to the public is the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. Members of the public can search the mine for diamonds for just a few dollars. The largest diamond in North America was discovered there along with the “Strawn-Wagner Diamond” and the “Kimberly Diamond”.

13. USA Goes Large

Obesity is a big problem in America affecting 35.7% of adults and nearly 17% of children. A prediction from the Trust for America’s Health reveals that half of all Americans could be obese by 2030.

14. The Montana Cow Population

A large percentage of America’s beef comes from Montana and in fact they are so successful at rearing cattle that there are three times as many cows in Montana as there are people and every year Montana produces enough milk to fill a football field 314 feet deep.

15. Grizzly California

The grizzly bear is the official symbol of California and appears on the state flag, however the grizzly is in fact extinct from California. The last one was shot in 1922.

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This is a guest post. Written on behalf of 1st Move International, an expert UK removals company specialising in shipping items overseas.

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